A/D converter performance — identify which item is NOT a standard conversion error category

Introduction / Context:
When characterizing analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), datasheets define specific error metrics that impact accuracy and monotonicity. Knowing these terms helps engineers diagnose issues and choose an ADC that meets system requirements.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Differential nonlinearity (DNL) measures step-size deviation from 1 LSB.
• Offset error indicates the transfer curve is shifted by a constant amount.
• “Missing code” means certain codes never appear due to large DNL or other issues.

Concept / Approach:

Standard ADC errors include offset error, gain error, integral nonlinearity (INL), differential nonlinearity (DNL), and dynamic errors (aperture jitter, SNR, THD for high-speed ADCs). “Incorrect code” is not a standard metric; it is an outcome that could be caused by any of the above issues or by timing/logic faults, but it is not itself a defined A/D error specification.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Check any precision ADC datasheet; you will find INL/DNL/offset/gain and often missing codes or monotonicity guarantees, but not a parameter named “incorrect code.”

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

DNL and offset are core specs; “missing code” is a widely referenced failure of monotonicity often tied to DNL exceeding −1 LSB.

Common Pitfalls:

Confusing symptoms with specifications; treating power supply noise or clock jitter as “errors” instead of contributors to dynamic metrics like SNR/SINAD.

Final Answer:

Incorrect code